Blue 501 wrote:Hello all. I am glad someone left a light burning so I could find my way. I am recovered from having 2 of my parathyroid glands removed. They are tiny little things but one of them was 40 times the size it should be. The roads were very icy on the day of my surgery but my driver, Valentin, grew up where it snows 9 months of the year. NC is the opposite. We mow grass 9 months of the year. Anyway, I was not worried but they did keep me overnight to get my oxygen levels up. NO CANCER! My brother took me to the beach for 5 days & we had oysters 4 nights & grilled shrimp with slaw & hush puppies the other night. It was cold but enjoyable. He is interested in a plan to rebuild the oyster population of New River & we went to talk to a number of good people, some of them local boys who like him, grew up to be scientists & travel the world with interesting people. It would be a great thing. There used to be oyster reefs so thick that at low tide you could walk across creeks without getting your feet wet. Not only are they delicious but oysters filter the water & make it cleaner to the benefit of people & other species of fish. Wish us luck. I am still trying to decide if I want to go for a month, mostly alone.

Blue, "NO CANCER" is 'GREAT NEWS'! When I saw "New River", I thought of my years in NC and remembered hearing about the "Neuse River". I can't help but wonder if you are someone I met all those years ago when I lived in NC, because I know this. Whether we met back then using our real names or you are the person I've come to know as Blue 501, you are someone I would be proud to call friend in any circumstance.

You are one of my favorite posters & it is good to see you. We may have met-I got around-but New River comes out at Topsail Inlet & New River Inlet. The Neuse is further north. I went to UNC-Chapel Hill & worked at hospitals in Durham (Duke & Durham Regional) for most of my career. If you & I never met, I can practically guarantee that we know some of the same people & if you had ancestors in eastern NC in the 1700's, we are probably kin. lol.

grammapam wrote:Quote Blue 501: This is just a quiet place to rest and post for anyone who feels lost at the moment. For any one who got washed out of the nest in the recent floods, for anyone who is tired of all the fighting, for anyone who just wants to reconnect with friends. Welcome to all who come in peace. There are overstuffed arm chairs, card tables for anyone who would like a game of bridge, and snacks. Cookies anyone? We can sit down together and watch an episode of Young & the Restless together. I, for one, have missed it for several days.Aw Blue.How nice!You will never begin to understand how I wish this could really take place!Thanks...Im on my way over with an armful of hugs

Me too Gramma. We complain about the soaps but for me they are a sweet respite from this crazy world. And most of our “postees” are fun and funny. Let’s keep this post going. No crabbing or fussing. Just virtual hugs and sweet words of encouragement.

grammapam wrote:Quote Blue 501: This is just a quiet place to rest and post for anyone who feels lost at the moment. For any one who got washed out of the nest in the recent floods, for anyone who is tired of all the fighting, for anyone who just wants to reconnect with friends. Welcome to all who come in peace. There are overstuffed arm chairs, card tables for anyone who would like a game of bridge, and snacks. Cookies anyone? We can sit down together and watch an episode of Young & the Restless together. I, for one, have missed it for several days.Aw Blue.How nice!You will never begin to understand how I wish this could really take place!Thanks...Im on my way over with an armful of hugs

Me too Gramma. We complain about the soaps but for me they are a sweet respite from this crazy world. And most of our “postees” are fun and funny. Let’s keep this post going. No crabbing or fussing. Just virtual hugs and sweet words of encouragement.

Sunny day in North Carolina. The grass needs to be mowed, Two days ago it was snowing. Never a dull moment, weatherwise. My husband bought a new mower for $3000 b/c he says it is faster & he can mow his grass in one hour instead of two. He could have mowed it in one hour with the John Deere if he would have sharpened the blade once in a while. He says the new mower is too "sensitive" for me to use . I foresee having to put cinder blocks around the flower beds to keep him from mowing the rest of my flowers to death. *We each own a house on about an acre. They adjoin each other. When we married he told me I could not bring my antiques b/c they were too old to go with his furniture. He also told me I did not need to bring much of my other stuff. I had a fit & bought the house next to his. So far, it has worked out fairly well. I highly recommend it. I do NOT recommend marrying a person whose native language you cannot speak-failure to communicate. I know a lot of Russian cuss words though. And a number of toasts. Apple strudel for brunch with Tanzanian coffee. Slices of ham. Have a nice peaceful morning. All the fruit trees are in bloom except the apples. The camellias have been blooming, one layer at the time, for several months now. When the first layer freezes, they wait a while, then try again. Right now the double reds are giving it a try. A whole fistful of petalloids in each bloom. In another month, it will be hotter than the back gates of he -double-l

Blue 501 wrote:Sunny day in North Carolina. The grass needs to be mowed, Two days ago it was snowing. Never a dull moment, weatherwise. My husband bought a new mower for $3000 b/c he says it is faster & he can mow his grass in one hour instead of two. He could have mowed it in one hour with the John Deere if he would have sharpened the blade once in a while. He says the new mower is too "sensitive" for me to use . I foresee having to put cinder blocks around the flower beds to keep him from mowing the rest of my flowers to death. *We each own a house on about an acre. They adjoin each other. When we married he told me I could not bring my antiques b/c they were too old to go with his furniture. He also told me I did not need to bring much of my other stuff. I had a fit & bought the house next to his. So far, it has worked out fairly well. I highly recommend it. I do NOT recommend marrying a person whose native language you cannot speak-failure to communicate. I know a lot of Russian cuss words though. And a number of toasts. Apple strudel for brunch with Tanzanian coffee. Slices of ham. Have a nice peaceful morning. All the fruit trees are in bloom except the apples. The camellias have been blooming, one layer at the time, for several months now. When the first layer freezes, they wait a while, then try again. Right now the double reds are giving it a try. A whole fistful of petalloids in each bloom. In another month, it will be hotter than the back gates of he -double-l

Just stopped by to catch up, and can I get a coffee with Bailey's? And you can go light on the coffee.

Blue 501 wrote:Sunny day in North Carolina. The grass needs to be mowed, Two days ago it was snowing. Never a dull moment, weatherwise. My husband bought a new mower for $3000 b/c he says it is faster & he can mow his grass in one hour instead of two. He could have mowed it in one hour with the John Deere if he would have sharpened the blade once in a while. He says the new mower is too "sensitive" for me to use . I foresee having to put cinder blocks around the flower beds to keep him from mowing the rest of my flowers to death. *We each own a house on about an acre. They adjoin each other. When we married he told me I could not bring my antiques b/c they were too old to go with his furniture. He also told me I did not need to bring much of my other stuff. I had a fit & bought the house next to his. So far, it has worked out fairly well. I highly recommend it. I do NOT recommend marrying a person whose native language you cannot speak-failure to communicate. I know a lot of Russian cuss words though. And a number of toasts. Apple strudel for brunch with Tanzanian coffee. Slices of ham. Have a nice peaceful morning. All the fruit trees are in bloom except the apples. The camellias have been blooming, one layer at the time, for several months now. When the first layer freezes, they wait a while, then try again. Right now the double reds are giving it a try. A whole fistful of petalloids in each bloom. In another month, it will be hotter than the back gates of he -double-l

Just stopped by to catch up, and can I get a coffee with Bailey's? And you can go light on the coffee.

Oh, yes Mam, you can. I always kept a stash locked up & well hidden for emergencies. Want it warmed or on ice?

I'm sorry, but I have to be crabby for just a moment. I have never learned to appreciate the smell or taste of coffee, but if anyone has any Bailey's available, I would be more than happy to add it to some hot cocoa. April 4th and snow in the forecast for parts of the Midwest. If there is no climate change, I sure wish someone would inform Mother Nature. Otherwise, I'm just going to have to ask her to start contributing her fair share to the Bailey's bill.

Hugs to everyone needing or just wanting a little warmth and support in their life whether physical from the weather, mental from life, or emotional from both. Here's a bad poem to make things seem better.

If my hugs are falling a little short,just let me know what you'd like to snort.I have wine, beer, and vodka too.If those don't work, would cocoa and a brownie do?

Sorry for being so corny. I've always wanted to be a writer, not a poetic specifically but wanting to put small segments of life's moments into "small segments of life's moments".

"If it will make one person smile, I'll take off my shoes and walk a snow-covered, pothole filled, paved highway mile."

Hello, everyone. I dropped in because I need a hug. When there is a death in my family, I don't dare relax for a while because there is nearly always two more within a short span and it has happened again. One was getting fairly old but he was my mother's favorite cousin & he was like a little brother to her because she lived with him & his widowed mother for 7 years to help with things. Her aunt had farm help and a cook/house keeper but family can do things few others can. (For one thing, act as a chaperone for each other at dances, lol). Then a cousin's wife who was my age & she had back surgery & developed pneumonia during her recovery & is gone. She was probably the only one in my family who is as crazy about genealogy as I am. (Her daughter got on her one time for stopping at so many cemeteries & said "Mama, can't you leave those dead people alone?") And now the third one, way before his time, shot to death by a jealous estranged husband of a woman he was with. One bullet in his chest and two in his head.The murderer wanted to make sure he did not survive. He was not the most responsible man who ever lived but he was good anyway & had a great sense of humor & was such a good dancer that someone gave him the nickname of "Rubber Band Man". Someone posted a video of a good looking blonde woman self-consciously dancing a little in front of a band playing their version of "Honky Tonk Women". My cuz came to her rescue & was soon twirling & dipping her (& without spilling a drop of the beer in his hand). A fitting tribute & it was good that my last image was of him having fun instead of the horrible details in the paper of how he died. May he rest in peace. And thank you, dear friends, for indulging Old Blue.

Sorry for the litany of sorrow. One glimmer of light. The cousin who was shot died saving someone else's life.That is something for his children to hold on to.

My husband came home from a long visit to his native country last night & brought picture books that his friend Nickolai made when they were here for a visit . There is one of my grandson, daughter, & me dressed as witches for Halloween. I really do look like one. I let my long white hair down & was carrying (rubber) snakes & wearing all black & a peaked hat. My daughter looked fairly scary too. Her 5 year old, after telling us to dress as witches, decided on his little Hogwarts wizard robe & looked adorable & precious. We had a good time. Our next excursion is to a local farm to pick strawberries. That is tomorrow. Looking forward to it if the plants have not drowned.

The sun has finally come out after flash floods in Raleigh. There is a fresh pot of Sumatran coffee & Marzipan filled chocolate hearts & Pain de Chocolate in the kitchen. Have a good day.